NCDMB, Dangote Refinery Inaugurate Joint Committee to Deepen Local Content
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Company have officially inaugurated a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) to enhance the implementation of local content in the operational phase of the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery.
The inauguration, held at the Dangote Free Trade Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, marks a significant step toward deepening strategic collaboration between the regulatory body and Africa’s largest refinery project. The event also included a formal tour of the refinery’s facilities and the official endorsement of the committee’s Terms of Reference (ToR).
Presiding over the ceremony were the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, and the Group Vice President, Oil and Gas at Dangote Group, Chief Edwin Devakumar. The event also featured the presentation of the “Nigerian Content Downstream Operator of the Year” award to Dangote Refinery, received by the company’s President, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for its role in advancing local participation in the oil and gas sector.
Speaking during the ceremony, Engr. Ogbe lauded the Dangote Group for achieving what he described as a “historic milestone” in developing the world’s largest single-train refinery, in addition to its petrochemical and fertilizer complexes. He emphasized that the refinery symbolizes the success of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010 and the transformative potential of Nigerian-led industrialization.
“At full capacity, this refinery will not only strengthen Nigeria’s energy security but also ensure the supply of refined petroleum products across West Africa,” Ogbe noted. “We have to own the plant, protect it, maintain it, and ensure it works well — this is a national asset.”
Ogbe reiterated NCDMB’s commitment to sustained collaboration with the Dangote Group to ensure strict compliance with the NOGICD Act, especially Sections 32 and 33, which deal with local manpower utilization and the mandatory approval process for engaging expatriates.
“No expatriate can be employed in this sector without our prior approval,” he emphasized. “We must safeguard jobs for Nigerians.”
The Executive Secretary also called on Dangote Refinery to support the Nigerian Oil and Gas Parks Scheme (NOGaPS), an NCDMB initiative aimed at developing manufacturing hubs close to oil fields, which will serve as incubation centres for SMEs and boost job creation.
In his remarks, Chief Edwin Devakumar, Group Vice President at Dangote, expressed appreciation for NCDMB’s partnership throughout the construction phase and pledged continued commitment to local content. “We’ve achieved a lot together, but there’s room to do more,” he said. “As a Nigerian company, we are fully aligned with the national local content vision, even as we focus on cost efficiency and competitiveness.”
The highlight of the event was the formal inauguration of the Joint Technical Committee, chaired by Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu, NCDMB’s Director of Corporate Services. The committee is tasked with promoting Nigerian content across all refinery operations — including the use of local manpower, services, and materials — in accordance with Section 3 of the NOGICD Act.
In his acceptance speech, Halilu reaffirmed the committee’s resolve to deliver measurable outcomes and uphold the highest standards of local content development for the benefit of Nigeria’s economy.
